Garment-stretcher



(No Model.) L MALLORY.

GARMENT STRETGHBR.

No. 529,283. Patented Nav; 13, 1894;

INVENTOR Mr/M WITNESSES TNI NCRRIS PETERS CD., FHOTD-LITHD., WASNXNGTON, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

LUCILLA MALLORY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

GARMENT-STRETCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 529,283, dated November 13, 1894.

Application tiled June 13,1 894. Serial No. 514,399. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, LUcILLA MALLORY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Stretching Garments; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a simple and inexpensive device adapted for general use but more especially for household usein stretching flannel underwear and holding it stretched so that it may be dried without shrinking.

It is of course well understood that the use of flannel underwear is attended with aserions inconvenience in that it is practically impossible to wash it in such a manner that it will not continually shrink in drying so that after a few washings tiannels amply large in the first instance become toc small to be worn with comfort. In order to overcome these objection I have devised the novel device for stretching garments while drying of which the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings is a specification, numbers being used to designate the several parts.

Figure l is a view of my novel stretching device partly in section on the line Qc in Fig. 2; and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line y y in Fig. 1.

l denotes a central supporting rod which is threaded at its upper end as at 2 and is provided at its lower end with a suitable base 3.

4 denotes an upper and 5 a lower block both of which are rigidly secured to the standard and are provided with ears 6.

7 denotes upper and S lower sets of arms which are pivoted respectively to the upper and lower blocks and carry at their outer ends pivoted heads 9 to which stretching braces l0 preferably made of wood, are secured.

ll denotes a block which is adapted to slide freely over both the threaded and smooth portions of the central rod but without engagement with the thread. This block is provided 5o with a groove l2.

13 denotes a hand Wheel which is provided with a hub 14 internally threaded to engage the threaded portion of the rod. The hub is provided in its under side with a socket l5 55 which receives the upper end ot' the sliding block 1l.

16 denotes set screws which-pass through the wall of metal surrounding socket l5 and engage groove 12 in the sliding block thereby 6o locking the hub to the block but leaving the hub free to be rotated on the threaded portion ot' the rod which of course moves the sliding block up or down as may be required. The sliding block is provided with sets of ears 17 between which links 18 are pivoted, the outer ends of said links being pivoted to arms 7 so that when the hand wheel is rotated in one direction the sliding block will be moved upward on the threaded portion of the rod 7o and will move the sliding block, links, arms and stretching braces from the position shown in full lines in Fig. l to the position shown in dotted lines.

In use the operator moves the stretching braces far enough inward so that the article to be dried may be readily slipped over them and then by turning the hand wheel in the other direction moves the sliding block downward thereby forcing the arms and stretching 8o braces downward and outward until the article to be dried is stretched as much as may be required, in which position it will remain until the hand wheel is turned backward again and the sliding block allowed to move the stretching braces inward and upward as clearly indicated in Fig. l.

Having thus described my invention, l claim- A device for stretching garments consisting 9o of a central rod having an upper threaded portion, an upper and a lower block rigidly secured thereto, sets of arms pivoted to said upper and lower blocks, stretching devices pivotally secured to the outer ends of said arms, a sliding block 1l, located above the upper fixed block, links pivoted to said sliding block and to one of the sets of arms, and a han-d wheel having la `hub threaded to engage In testimony whereof I afx my sgoatp re in the threaded pertiee ef there@ end .Seemed meeenee .91? We eimeeeeef to the sli'dihgblook in such a `manner -as to f Y permit the free rotation of the hub, whereby LUCILLA MALLORY the stretching devices are caused to move up- Witnesses:

ward and inward, or vice versa, as may be re- A. M. WOOSTER,

quired re effeer the intended purpose S, V. BlelellON.- 

